Cleaning and reorganising the garage sounds like a big hassle, but we’re sure it’s a chore you won’t regret doing. Get our best tips to organise a garage and keep it tidy.
While many of us have the best intentions for keeping common spaces in our homes, like our garage, clean and organised, busy schedules throughout the year can sometimes keep us from staying on top of clutter.
Luckily, with a little time and preparation, you can organise your garage once and for all. Follow our expert tips for storing your tools, garden gear, sports supplies and more, plus how to keep it all organised for good.
Set Aside Time If you can give your garage a full day of your attention, you’ll find the work to organise a garage goes by quickly, especially when you’ve got a plan in place. Pull out everything that’s in the way and create zones for items that can be trashed or recycled, donated, or that need to be organised and put back into space.
FAQs About Garage Renovation
What Is The Best Way To Organise A Garage?
Tips Organise Your Garage Cheaply
- Draft a Floor Plan for Your Garage.
- Keep Things Off the Garage Floor.
- Must-Have Storage Products for Garages.
- Why Open Shelves Are Better Than Closed Cabinets.
- Install Vertical Organizing Systems.
- Use Overhead Space Wisely.
- Build a Workbench.
- Stop Air Leaks Between the Garage and House.
How Do I Organise My Messy Garage?
Reclaim your garage and restore order with this organisational to-do list.
- Set aside enough time to work on the project.
- Don’t tackle it by yourself.
- Categorise the items in your garage.
- Group the garage’s contents.
- Trash or donate items that don’t fit the categories.
- Determine the best garage layout.
How Can I Declutter My Garage Quickly?
Declutter and Organise Your Garage
- Get Rid Of Everything You Don’t Use.
- Don’t Toss Your Spouse’s Things.
- Organise Your Garage with Shelving.
- Declutter and Organise Your Garage with Bins.
- Declutter and Organise a Garage with Labels.
- Plan Garage Space Like a Department Store.
- Rent a Storage Unit While You Organise.
What Is The Cheapest Way To Organise A Garage?
Plastic bins are a quick and inexpensive way to optimise your garage organisation. Once you’ve grouped your things into categories, put them into a bin and add a label. Not sure what you need? Use these tips for choosing storage boxes before throwing things into the first available bin.
How Do You Store Boxes In A Garage?
Avoid keeping anything cardboard in your garage. Instead of placing your things in cardboard boxes, transfer them to plastic bins and boxes. It’s worth investing in high-quality containers to keep everything neatly and safely stored away.
Clean And Organise Your Garage
Here’s how to deep clean, to declutter, and get it done in simple steps!
Remove Everything & Prepare your Supplies
Pick a day when the weather is on your side and pull everything out of your garage and into your driveway or yard. It can seem productive to tackle a corner at a time, but honestly? Getting everything out will help you assess what you have, take note of the grime level, and stay motivated to keep too many things from returning to their old spots.
Gather a ready supply of towels, a bucket, a broom and cleaning spray. You may also want to keep a measuring tape handy and some big, strong garbage bags or bins for sorting items.
Start by wiping down or hosing off anything dirty or dusty.
The most efficient way to clean and organise a garage is to start with a blank canvas. Pull everything out of the garage to have an empty room. If the weather is nice and you plan to do the work in one day, you can move your belongings onto the driveway. Otherwise, you must make room inside your home.
Sort, Eliminate, Donate Or Sell
Once everything is out of the garage, it’s time to start sorting everything into piles: keep, donate/sell and eliminate. Purge once, then go back through the keep pile and purge again.
Ask yourself if the item is something you’ll use again or something you’ve used in the last year—be realistic and honest.
Holding onto those rollerblades because you think your kids might want to use them or that tennis racket that needs to be re-strung? These are the types of things that create clutter. Many sports stores will buy back equipment or sell it on consignment. You may even make a nice little profit that can be put towards something the whole family will like.
When it comes to tools, consider what you use frequently and what can be borrowed or rented. This is a difficult one because many of us (and many husbands) fancy ourselves to be “Bob the Builder” or “Rosie the Riveter” and tend to hoard tools. If your husband is indeed a handyman, and especially if it’s a hobby, then, by all means, let him keep a tool bench/workstation area, but keep it organised and useful.
Broken items or items rusted or past their prime can be tossed immediately. Permit yourself to let go and stop keeping things in hopes that one day you’ll get around to repairing them.
If you’re a gardener, keep one rust-free version of each tool you frequently use. Toss seeds over a year old (most will not grow past that time, and pests LOVE them), and be sure all pots and planting items (including tomato cages, hoses and gardening decorations) are clean and free of dirt and moisture before storing.
Car repair items and cleaning supplies should be assessed for usefulness and potency. Some car fluids do expire, so keeping them might create a fire hazard. Always get rid of any oil rags and don’t allow them to pile up, as they’re combustible.
Chemicals, paint and other items that have outlived their usefulness should be disposed of using the proper channels. Contact your local recycling and waste management or municipality to find out how to dispose of chemicals in your area safely.
Find Storage Solutions That Work For You
Depending on what you have in your garage and what you need to store, you may be facing some interesting storage dilemmas. It seems that nearly EVERYTHING in the garage is oddly shaped—it’s either very, very large and bulky (such as weed trimmers, chainsaws or sports equipment) or very, very small and easy to lose (like nails, screws, bits or gardening markers).
While working with Closet Maid, we were introduced to their heavy-duty garage storage system, which is awesome! The wire shelves allow for airflow (important in Florida!), they are easy to install, and the shelves are adjustable, so you can reconfigure them any way you want.
For tools, we have found that a collection of bins works well; many other organisation experts recommend using a pegboard over a workbench. Small, clearly marked jars work well for sorting various odds and ends with your tools. Larger items like saws and electrical tools can be stored in shelving. Toolboxes should be kept off the floor and away from moisture.
Baseball bats, rackets, balls and bulky sports items store well in ball bins, large totes or even repurposed trash cans. If you sort carefully to pare down to just the necessary items, you can arrange everything clearly on a shallow shelf. (Deep shelves create a magical abyss where things disappear.)
Get bikes, kayaks and other large items off the floor, so they’re protected from damage. Hang them up on ceiling hooks tightly fastened to support beams in the garage. Hanging large items such as ladders, shovels, rakes and other tools will keep the ground free of clutter and provide each item with a safe place to rest. (We all want to prevent things from falling on kids or cars!)
Think about the storage options you’ll need and assess what you have on hand. Assemble all storage containers and hooks and get them ready to house your remaining, now-clean garage equipment.
Once your garage is clean, and all surfaces are dry, you are ready to build an organisational system. Your organisational system will be tailored to meet your unique needs. To take stock of the items you are working with, toss out the entire trash pile. Drop off the charitable items at a collection location. List the items you intend to sell and separate these from your keeper pile.
Now that you have a single pile of keeper items remaining, you can group “like” items together. For example, put all of the holiday décors in a small pile. Lawn care items, sporting goods and hand tools all will have their piles.
Depending on the items in your various piles, you can use storage pins, coffee cans, tubs, shelves and pegboards in your custom organisational system. The items that you tend to use most frequently should be easily accessible. Holiday décor and other items that you rarely use can be stored in higher locations or areas out of the way.
A pegboard with an outline for each tool will help you to keep these items in the right place going forward. Remember to label everything to find it when you need it easily. Hazardous items should be stored out of the reach of children.
After spending so much time and energy organising your garage, you understandably want to keep your space clean and organised. The smart idea is to get in the habit of tidying up the garage in the same way that you would clean your bedroom or living room.
Depending on the items in your various piles, you can use storage pins, coffee cans, tubs, shelves and pegboards in your custom organisational system. The items that you tend to use most frequently should be easily accessible.
Holiday décor and other items that you rarely use can be stored in higher locations or areas out of the way. A pegboard with an outline for each tool will help you to keep these items in the right place going forward. Remember to label everything to find it when you need it easily. Hazardous items should be stored out of the reach of children.
After spending so much time and energy organising your garage, you understandably want to keep your space clean and organised. The smart idea is to get in the habit of tidying up the garage in the same way that you would clean your bedroom or living room.
Seal Cracks And Repair Hazards
Garages bear the brunt of the harshest weather. Often they’re not heated or cooled, and temperature fluctuations and moisture tend to cause mildew, cracking leaks and other issues. Since most of us don’t spend ample time in the garage, many of these issues can go unnoticed until they’re difficult to repair.
With everything out of the garage, survey any areas that might need to be fixed or touched up. Seal any cracks with spray-in foam or sealant and consider spraying on a protective coat of LeakSeal or another flexible coating.
This is also the time to check out the wires around your garage and make sure nothing looks chewed on or presents a fire hazard. Look at anything that might be exposed and call a professional if needed.
Clean the gutters around your garage, and look for signs of water damage. This is also a good time to check lighting, locks and seals around your windows. You want to ensure not only weather protection but protection from intruders.
Dust, Wash, Clean And Paint
Put that broom to use! Put on a mask. (Garages can house mouse droppings, bugs, chemicals, and things you don’t want to breathe in.) Thoroughly clean out all corners, wash down the walls, and make sure everything is dust-free. This will prevent all of that dirt from tracking into your house later.
Not all of us are ready to put in epoxy floor coating in the garage, but if you’re able, it’s an investment that will help make things feel more “finished.” If you have oil spills on the floor, kitty litter works wonders for soaking it up and keeping the floor looking its best. Consider putting down an inexpensive garage floor protector or even a piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting or rug to protect from future damage.
A simple coat of latex paint in white will keep things fresh and help prevent mildew. Caulk around the windows and caulk any cracked or leaking seals. You don’t have to sew curtains or put up wall decals, but if you feel inclined to add a simple decorative touch, it may help you feel more of that “extension of your home” mentality and keep things clean in the future.
Once everything has been removed from the garage, you will be left with a filthy room. Using a broom or a vacuum, pull down all of the cobwebs and dust bunnies accumulated on the walls and ceiling. Sweep all of the dirt out of the garage. Put the garage door down to fully clean the ceiling and door.
If you notice signs of mould, use a bleach and water mixture to disinfect the areas. The mould should remain saturated with the bleach for approximately 30 minutes. Then, scrub and rinse the area.
If your garage floor is stained with motor oil or other elements, now is the time to remove the stains. Pour dry laundry detergent on the stains. Scrub the detergent into the stain. Apply water, and continue scrubbing. Once the filth is removed, rinse the garage floor. An alternative is to soak up motor oil with cat litter, cornmeal, or sawdust.
You can also address small cracks in the concrete floor at this time. The easiest way to fill in these cracks is with a special epoxy designed for use on concrete. This product is available at your local home improvement store.
To protect the floor from additional damage, apply a concrete sealant. You will need to wait until the sealant is completely dry before moving your belongings back into the garage.
If needed, apply a lubricant to the garage door’s tracks to keep it well-maintained.
Re-assemble And Re-commit
Now that you have a beautiful, clean and fresh garage, put the necessities back in place and organise your areas—tools, sporting goods, car repair, storage (in a few marked bins) and gardening.
If you store your trash and recycling in your garage, keep things in bags, tightly sealed and closed to prevent odour and varmints. Keep a mat or paper under the can in case of spills. Hose out your trashcan monthly and sprinkle with baking soda to help prevent smells from wafting throughout the garage (or into your house).
As you return your items to the garage, keep purging and eliminating them. Aim for a garage where things are easily accessible and organised. Again, consider if you’re truly using each item or simply storing it. (If it’s the latter, time to get rid of it!)
With a clean garage, you may even start to enjoy doing things outdoors more often. You may revisit hobbies or feel more inspired to garden or work on projects. Deep cleaning your garage can be surprisingly inspiring and motivating! You may even be so excited that you want to make a video of parking your car in it for the first time in 11 years!
In the end, while the task may seem daunting, the rewards are well worth the effort. You will save money and keep your house cleaner, but you’ll also protect your investment in your car, bikes and other items because they’re stored in a clean, dry environment, and finally, be able to work on new projects that you never had the space for before.
Garage Ceiling Track Storage
Get those big plastic storage bins off the garage floor and onto the ceiling! Screw 2x2s to the ceiling framing with 3-1/2-in. Screws spaced every 2 ft. Use the bins as a guide for spacing the 2x2s.
The lips on the bins should brush against the 2x2s when you’re sliding the bins into place. Then centre and screw 1x4s to the 2x2s with 2-in. screws. The garage ceiling is a perfect place to store light and medium weight seasonal items like holiday decorations and camping gear.
Flexible Garage Wall Storage
Create more storage space in your garage for tools, garden equipment, toys and everything else, even in the narrow alley between the wall and car door, with this adjustable shelving system.
This system solves two challenges: first, how to design storage space for the narrow spaces between the garage side wall and the family car; and second, how to create a solid mounting surface to hold shelves and hooks capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of stuff.
Use These Tips To Make Cleaning Out The Garage Easier
Spend over 7 hours a week cleaning up their homes. If you’re one of these people, you may spend a great deal of time tidying up your garage.
Are you tired of spending so much time doing these chores? Wouldn’t you rather spend your time on your hobbies?
With our garage cleaning tips, cleaning out the garage won’t have to be such a chore anymore. You’ll be able to keep it clutter-free, so it’s easier to handle.
However, an even better solution is to have a professional cleaning company perform this task for you. They can handle all the work, and you won’t have to lift a finger. We at Rescue Time Cleaning Service can help free up your time so you can do the things you truly enjoy instead.